Is it ever 'too late' to change your career?

Vera Wang designed her first dress at 40.

Samuel L. Jackson landed his first major movie role at 46.

Ray Kroc found success with McDonald's at 52.

Morgan Freeman got his first big break at 50.

These people have proved there really is no time limit to when you can find your passion. It would be amiss to not mention there is privilege seeded in being able to pivot your entire career when you have financial responsibilities, but it is possible.

Ben has always had a love of learning and pursued teaching to make a positive impact on the way people grow and develop through crucial years. So after a 20-year career as a Teacher, how did Ben become a graduate developer with Go1???

When was the moment you decided to take a leap of faith, and pursue a change??

I spent most of my teaching career teaching Physical Education and Science. Over the last 20 years, learning new skills gave me the opportunity to teach Maths, Music, Volleyball, Coffee Culture, Special Education, and Digital Technologies. The variety kept me interested in teaching for a long time, but I was always excited by technology, coding, and fast-paced business.??

The big push for me to take the plunge and start studying was not so positive.

I got to a point in my teaching career where I didn't see any room for significant personal growth and was seeing a significant deterioration in my mental health and the mental health of many others in the profession. As a proactive person who needs to be growing and moving forward positively, I saw studying as a pathway towards something exciting.?

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced through this transition???

The biggest challenge I have had through this transition was managing my time. Whilst studying I also had many other responsibilities and worked full-time. Family is still the most important thing, so my study has mostly been done after my children have gone to bed, leading to many late nights. Luckily my completely external degree allowed me this flexibility, although I have lost significant family and social time across the degree - especially in the last year as I increased Uni to a full-time load to complete it more quickly. I look forward to a livelier social life after completing my studies at the end of this year; I'll have so much more time for activities.?

What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t love their job, but thinks it may be too late for a career change??

There is definitely a "leap of faith" that needs to happen - but the cost of not making that leap is too high if you're unhappy in your work. There may be ways to reduce the financial risk, like participating in study on the side, taking leave without pay to try another career out without losing your current position, or working part time to enable a transition process. I would try to secure a new position before leaving your current work; exploring opportunities can't hurt.?

The most important mindset change required to change careers is to see your experience as an advantage instead of something that makes it "too late for a career change".??

In my experience, employers are excited about a person with real life experience, many spoke to me about accelerated pathways and future leadership opportunities. Try to remember what you were like when you first started your career, compared with your skills now – You will see the value in your lived experiences. Employers will see this too.?

Why are you so passionate about coding/IT??

Coding and IT have played a significant role in my own business endeavours, too. When I ran the band rehearsal studio Sunset Rehearsals, an online booking system built by my friend? and coding guru Bruce Tonkin alleviated much of my workload. From this idea, I founded an online band rehearsal studio booking and management business called Bandwax, built by Patrick Galbraith, another amazing developer, which enabled me to automate booking and payments and sell my booking system to other band rehearsal studios. I went on to try other business adventures which were a lot of fun, and provided great learning for me.?

With all of these experiences working and living closely with coding and IT - moving to being a developer myself has always been something I've wanted to explore. I'm annoyed that it took me so long to give this passion the time it deserved.?

What has your experience been like working with Go1??

I am so glad that I prioritised my growth and mental health and I’m extremely happy in my new position at Go1.?The culture here is amazingly positive and I feel that I've found a company that aligns with my values. It trusts its employees. It's a place where everyone is working hard towards a common goal, where diversity is sought and celebrated, where effort is encouraged, and mistakes are okay.??

I know I have a lot to learn and have been here for just a short time, but already feel valued. I know this is a workplace that I can contribute positively to, and I know there's plenty of room for me to continually grow and develop - which I plan to do as quickly as possible.??